Best Period Piece Movies of 2025
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best Period Piece Movies of 2025" contains films with the following parameters. Style: period piece, historical drama, period drama, bleak, tense and suspenseful. Plot: survival, coming of age, moral ambiguity, sacrifice, flashback, biopic, isolation, male protagonist, psychological drama and bare chested male. Genre: Drama, History and Biography. Country: USA, UK and Canada.
Best Period Piece Movies of 2025
TOP Movies: Train Dreams (2025), Sinners (2025), Nuremberg (2025), Blue Moon (2025), The Fantastic 4: First Steps (2025), Sarah's Oil (2025), The Mastermind (2025), Good Night, and Good Luck (2025), The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), The King of Kings (2025), Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1 (2025), Truth & Treason (2025), The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), Prisoner of War (2025), Killing Faith (2025), Palestine 36 (2025), The Yellow Tie (2025), The World Will Tremble (2025), Warfare (2025), Sisu: Road to Revenge (2025).
List of Best Movies
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.
Style:
melancholic, atmospheric, contemplative, period piece, bleak ...
Plot:
husband wife relationship, loss, memory, loneliness, love, working class, nostalgia, grief, character study, village life, tragedy, isolation ...
Time:
1920s, year 1917, 60s
Place:
poetic realism, idaho
Is relevant?
394K
Genre: Action, Drama, Horror, Music, Thriller
Country: USA, Australia, Canada
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Style:
period piece, southern gothic, dark fantasy, gothic, psychotronic ...
Plot:
supernatural horror, vampire, profanity, brother brother relationship, twins, ku klux klan, vampirism, loss of brother, eaten alive, native american, plantation, graphic violence ...
Time:
1930s, 90s, 20th century, year 1932, year 1992 ...
Place:
mississippi, chicago, north america
Is relevant?
58K
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Thriller, War
Country: USA, Hungary
Duration: 148 min.
Story:
In postwar Germany, an American psychiatrist must determine whether Nazi prisoners are fit to go on trial for war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of intellect and ethics with Hermann Göring, Hitler's right-hand man.
Style:
historical drama, thought provoking, psychological thriller, intense, tense ...
Plot:
psychiatrist, manipulation, ethical dilemma, ethics, character study, moral ambiguity, evil, world war two, courtroom, courtroom drama, obsession, interrogation ...
Time:
1940s, year 1947, post world war two, year 1946, year 1945
Place:
germany, austria, washington d.c.
Is relevant?
14K
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama, History, Music, Romance
Country: USA, Ireland
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”.
Style:
historical drama, emotional, melancholic, period piece, art house ...
Plot:
mental health, alcoholism, broadway, gay, intimate, gay interest, depression, character study, biopic, friendship, composer, addiction ...
Time:
1940s, year 1943, 20th century
Place:
new york
Is relevant?
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Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
Against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel's First Family is forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, while defending Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus ...
Style:
heroic, action adventure, dramatic, period piece, surprise ending ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
superhero, teamwork, villain, baby, birth, genius, husband wife relationship, pregnant woman, alien, invisibility, fame, electricity ...
Time:
20th century, year 1963, future, 60s
Place:
north america, brooklyn new york city, manhattan new york city, new york, egypt ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story:
Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.
Style:
melancholic, period piece, period drama
Plot:
biopic, character study, legacy, loneliness, music industry, reconciliation, nostalgia, interview, adaptation, depression, mental health, bare chested male ...
Time:
80s
Place:
new jersey, atlantic city
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Sarah Rector, an African-American girl born in Oklahoma Indian Territory in the early 1900s, believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted, and her faith is proven right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to her family, ...
Style:
historical drama, inspirational, period piece, independent film
Plot:
black history, female empowerment, exploitation, racial discrimination, child protagonist, greed, family drama, resilience, biopic, coming of age, entrepreneurship, determination ...
Time:
90s, 20th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
In a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist. When things go haywire, his life unravels.
Style:
crime drama, period piece, suspense, tense, road movie
Plot:
heist, art theft, on the run, desperation, anti hero, character study, escape, isolation, obsession, suspicion, moral ambiguity, cat and mouse ...
Time:
70s
Place:
massachusetts, new england
Is relevant?
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Genre: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
Livestreamed from the penultimate show at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City, this stage adaptation of George Clooney's 2005 film follows the story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, thought provoking, tension, serious ...
Plot:
mccarthyism, journalism, ethical dilemma, cold war, political conflict, live performance, broadway, anti communism, news anchor, government, politician, theatre play ...
Time:
1950s
Place:
new york
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Musical
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers.
Style:
historical drama, period piece, period drama
Audience:
adult
Plot:
religious leader, biopic, female protagonist, spirituality, spiritual awakening, female nudity, historical epic, female empowerment, prophecy, sacrifice, pilgrimage, male nudity ...
Time:
19th century, 18th century
Place:
manchester
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Biography, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA, South Korea
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Charles Dickens tells his young son Walter the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and ...
Style:
biblical, period piece, historical drama, spiritual, religious drama ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
father son relationship, imagination, jesus, religion, faith, christianity, redemption, sacrifice, storytelling, gospel, coming of age, parable ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1st century
Place:
israel
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 165 min.
Story:
During the Kadamba reign, King Vijayendra, the ruler of the fictional feudatory land of Bangra, meets his final fate while venturing into the mystical forest of Kantara. Witnessing this, his son Rajashekara seals the borders of their realm. Later, ...
Style:
period piece, historical drama, epic, dark, grim ...
Plot:
legendary hero, dynasty, folk hero, folklore, slavery, mysticism, mythology, resistance, religious conflict, oppression, supernatural, violence ...
Time:
5th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Country: Lithuania, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story:
When loyalty to country becomes loyalty to a lie, one teen risks everything to expose the truth. With the Gestapo closing in, he must decide what it really means to be a good German.
Style:
historical drama, intense, tension, period piece, bleak ...
Plot:
nazi germany, oppression, moral dilemma, resistance, totalitarianism, world war two, gestapo, conscience, friendship, loss of innocence, fear, propaganda ...
Time:
1940s, year 1941
Place:
germany, hamburg germany
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Canada
Duration: 135 min.
Story:
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last terrifying case involving mysterious entities they must confront.
Style:
psychological horror, creepy, grim, gothic, period piece ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
ghost, exorcism, supernatural, haunted house, paranormal activity, investigation, demonic possession, spiritual warfare, occult, catholic church, small town, slow burn ...
Time:
70s, 80s, year 1986, year 1964
Place:
pennsylvania
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Thriller, War
Country: Philippines, USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story:
British RAF Wing Commander James Wright is captured by the Japanese during WWII and forced to fight in brutal hand-to-hand combat. The Japanese soldiers get more than they bargained for when Wright’s years of martial arts training in Hong Kong ...
Style:
period piece, tense, historical drama, dark, action thriller ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
bare chested male, world war two, martial arts, hand to hand combat, survival, captivity, pow, violence, brutality, military, resilience, extreme violence ...
Time:
1940s, year 1950, year 1942
Place:
tokyo
Is relevant?
Genre: Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
In the summer of 1859, a widowed physician reluctantly agrees to take a recently freed slave and her mysterious Caucasian daughter on a five-day journey through the bloody West to find a distant town's Faith Healer. The woman believes her ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, sinister, intense, bleak ...
Plot:
racial tension, moral ambiguity, supernatural, haunting, witch doctor, racism, journey, character study, ethical dilemma, grief, road trip, isolation ...
Time:
19th century, 1850s
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA, France, Denmark, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sweden, Australia
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
1936. As villages across Mandatory Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, tense, bleak, melancholic ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
colonialism, resistance, british empire, nationalism, political conflict, coming of age, ethnic conflict, family bonds, british colonialism, zionism, class differences, harvest ...
Time:
1930s, year 1937, year 1936, 20th century
Place:
jerusalem
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, Music
Country: Romania
Duration: 145 min.
Story:
The extraordinary life of Sergiu Celibidache, from his childhood in Romania to his exile in pursuit of a career in music, his struggle for survival in wartime Germany and his rise, fall and rise again, in an unimaginable life journey.
Style:
inspirational, emotional, dramatic, historical drama, intense ...
Plot:
biopic, world war two, classical music, orchestra, exile, train conductor, legacy, ambition, survival, resilience, rise and fall, perseverance ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
germany, romania
Is relevant?
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
The incredible, untold true story of how a group of prisoners attempt a seemingly impossible escape from the first Nazi death camp in order to provide the first eyewitness account of the Holocaust.
Style:
historical drama, bleak, tense, intense, emotional ...
Plot:
holocaust, concentration camp, world war two, nazi germany, memories, prison escape, war crime, survival, resistance, biopic, sacrifice, forced labor ...
Time:
1940s
Place:
eastern europe
Is relevant?
104K
Genre: Action, Drama, War
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
A platoon of Navy SEALs embarks on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.
Style:
tension, independent film, suspense, period piece, epic war ...
Plot:
iraq war, survival, based on real people, sniper, chaos, war zone, blood, war violence, brutality, realism, military, soldier ...
Time:
2000s, year 2006, 21st century
Place:
iraq
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, War
Country: Finland, UK
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Returning to the house where his family was brutally murdered during the war, 'the man who refuses to die' dismantles it, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honor. When the Red Army commander who ...
Style:
brutal, road movie, neo noir, period piece, bloody ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
survival, revenge, vengeance, violent, post war, war trauma, one man army, manhunt, obsession, cat and mouse, rage, grief ...
Time:
year 1946, 1940s
Place:
finland, siberia, soviet union
Is relevant?
54K
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Music, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
A former Army Ranger and struggling father turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname 'Roofman'. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, ...
Style:
dark comedy, suspense, tense, crime thriller, crying ...
Plot:
male star appears nude, bare chested male, toy store, male nudity, prison escape, double life, heist, ex military, cat and mouse, anti hero, identity, moral ambiguity ...
Time:
year 2002, year 2004, year 2003
Place:
north carolina
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: China
Duration: 137 min.
Story:
In the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, in order to save his life, postman A Chang pretended to be a photo developer in a photo studio and developed photos for the Japanese army. He also took in a group of Chinese soldiers and civilians, turning the studio ...
Style:
historical drama, bleak, period piece, educational, serious ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
photography, japanese army, japanese occupation, refugee, heroism, sacrifice, occupation, resilience, wartime, moral ambiguity, resistance, urban ...
Time:
1930s, 1940s, year 1937
Place:
china
Is relevant?
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Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
When her father's puppet samurai show gets ambushed by a notorious gang, Tornado vows to seek vengeance and forge her own destiny by stealing their ill-gotten gold.
Style:
crime drama, suspenseful, period piece, fast paced, noir ...
Plot:
heist, revenge, puppeteer, outlaw gang, moral ambiguity, vigilante, justice, showdown, underdog, betrayal, coming of age, survival ...
Time:
18th century
Place:
britain, japan
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
Style:
suspenseful, dramatic, black comedy, period piece, dark comedy ...
Plot:
cat, cow, corrupt cop, hospital, puerto rican, plot twist, black woman, punk, baseball, male nudity, criminal underworld, loss of girlfriend ...
Time:
90s, year 1998
Place:
coney island brooklyn new york city, new york
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In March of 1920, just outside of Center, North Dakota, Hazel Miner and her two siblings – Emmet and Myrdith – are getting ready to leave school. The students have been sent home early as the weather has started to turn from a gentle snowfall to ...
Style:
historical drama, harsh, period piece, suspenseful, tense ...
Plot:
snowstorm, blizzard, family drama, siblings, search and rescue, heroism, sacrifice, mourning, isolation
Time:
1920s
Place:
north dakota
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 94 min.
Story:
A remote village in Roman-era Egypt explodes into spiritual warfare when a carpenter, his wife and their child are targeted by supernatural forces.
Style:
religious horror, bleak, tension, psychological thriller, period piece ...
Plot:
supernatural power, family drama, claustrophobia, ancient rome, coming of age, moral ambiguity, sacrifice, hidden identity, isolation, reluctant hero, superstition, prophecy ...
Place:
greece, crete
Is relevant?
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History
Country: Spain, Italy
Duration: 134 min.
Story:
In 1575, the young soldier Miguel de Cervantes is captured on the high seas by Barbary pirates and taken to Algiers as a hostage. Aware that a cruel death awaits him if his family does not pay his ransom soon, he finds refuge in his passion for ...
Style:
period piece, historical drama, tense, emotional, atmospheric ...
Plot:
male nudity, storytelling, captivity, survival, biopic, resilience, escape plan, ransom, hostage, pow, renaissance, sea voyage ...
Time:
16th century, medieval times
Place:
europe, algeria
Is relevant?
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: Mexico, USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
In the time of the Aztec empire, tragedy strikes Yohualli Coatl when his father is murdered by Spanish conquistadors. To warn King Moctezuma and his high priest, Yoka, of imminent danger, Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlán. There, he trains in the ...
Style:
historical drama, period piece, dark, tense, dark fantasy ...
Plot:
superhero, vengeance, aztec, loss of father, revenge, vigilante justice, resistance, tragedy, mythology, masked vigilante, empowerment, spirituality ...
Time:
16th century
Place:
latin america
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, History, War
Country: Japan, UK, Poland, Singapore
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Dual timelines explore a Japanese widow's memories spanning post-war Nagasaki in 1950s and England during 1980s Cold War era, unraveling secrets that intertwine her past and present experiences across borders.
Style:
period piece, reflective, melancholic, atmospheric, historical drama ...
Plot:
widow, female protagonist, trauma, grief, memory, secrets, post war, mother and daughter, loss, regret, family secret, identity ...
Time:
1950s, 60s, 80s, 20th century, year 1982 ...
Place:
england
Is relevant?
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